Family of teen killed by Oakland police receives $110K settlement

Bay City News

Wednesday, June 04, 2014

OAKLAND, Calif. --

A $110,000 settlement for the family of a teen shot and killed by an Oakland police officer more than two years ago was approved by the Oakland City Council Tuesday night, the family's attorney confirmed today.

Alan Blueford, 18, was shot by Oakland police Officer Miguel Masso shortly after midnight on May 6, 2012, during a foot chase near 92nd Avenue and Birch Street in East Oakland.

Police initially said that Blueford was shot in an exchange of gunfire that also injured Masso, but later acknowledged that Blueford did not fire a gun and Masso had shot himself in his own foot.

A district attorney's office report said that Blueford did have a gun and pointed it at the officer, prompting Masso to fire his gun four times.

The family's lawsuit filed in July 2012 disputes that version of events, claiming that Masso shot Blueford three times after he had tripped and fallen on the ground and was on his back trying to get up.

The gun police said he was carrying was found 20 feet away from Blueford's body, according to the lawsuit.

The shooting prompted widespread protests in Oakland, including heated City Council meetings where crowds of protesters shouted down councilmembers to the point that at least one meeting had to be prematurely adjourned.

Blueford's father and mother, Adam and Jeralynn Blueford, have been active in the protests, demanding documents to further explain the circumstances of their son's death.

But by the time the settlement was reached in March, "My clients wanted to settle the case and put the matter behind them as best they could," attorney Dan Siegel said today.

Alan Blueford was a student at Skyline High School set to graduate that June.

While the City Council's 7-1 vote to approve the settlement marks the end of the civil action in the case, Siegel, who is also running for mayor, said he remains involved in efforts to get the U.S. Justice Department to investigate Blueford's and other police shootings in Oakland.

The district attorney's office concluded that Masso should not face criminal charges after its investigation.

The Justice 4 Alan Blueford coalition, which formed to organize protests following the shooting, continues to organize actions surrounding Blueford's death and other police shooting incidents, most recently a "Heels to Heal 4 Alan" walk around Lake Merritt on May 3.